Daffodil bulbs look like nothing.
And when they start to sprout through the soil, they could be mistaken for any other flower. Indistinctive green shoots.
But they're faithful to their growth and - in spite of rain and snow and windy weather - they burst forth in March exactly when we need them.
Fierce little flowers, they never give less than their best. Have you ever seen a half-hearted daffodil?
Brilliant in colour, relentlessly outstretched, reaching for the sun. Especially piercing in beauty against a cornflower blue sky yet still able to brighten up the dreariest of days.
Undaunted by inhospitable environments, they bloom where they've been planted.
Daffodils teach me a lot about patience. And trust. And doing what you know to do. And being who you are. Just because it looks like nothing is happening doesn't mean nothing is. Daffodils grow for a long time beyond the scope of human sight.
Then just when you think Winter will never end, suddenly Spring. It's not "all over" at all! New life has, actually, only just begun.
No wonder daffodils are associated with Easter.
Rebirth.
New beginnings.
Resurrection.
I turn my face to the Son and reach up to stretch out and bloom.
Just like them.
jsg/march 26